The Montreal Impact held a roundtable discussion at the Canadian Club at the Sheraton Hotel in Montreal on Monday May 13, 2019. Club president Kevin Gilmore, Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, left to right, discussed the future of professional soccer in Montreal and North America.Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette

In 1993, former Montreal Gazette sports columnist Michael Farber wrote about soccer in Montreal, noting: “Kids play until they are old enough to drive. After they get their licences, the last place they think of driving to is a soccer field.”

That was the same year the Montreal Impact made their debut in the American Professional Soccer League, playing home games at the Claude Robillard Sports Centre. The Montreal soccer scene has changed a lot since then, with the Impact joining Major League Soccer in 2012 and playing out of Saputo Stadium.

The Impact have a young, enthusiastic fan base, led by the Ultras and 1642MTL supporter groups that spend entire games singing, dancing and banging drums in their sections at the opposite ends of Saputo Stadium.

The big challenge for the Impact now is getting more corporate people to drive — or take the métro — to Saputo Stadium. That was the main message delivered Monday when MLS commissioner Don Garber, Impact owner Joey Saputo and team president Kevin Gilmore were speakers at a Canadian Club of Montreal business community luncheon that attracted more than 300 people. Garber and Gilmore also met with the media afterward.

Gilmore said that while MLS and the Impact have evolved when it comes to soccer, the club has yet to fully evolve from a business standpoint.

“So the first order of business is really changing the corporate culture and understanding that we should be confident in taking our place in this market,” said Gilmore, who was hired in January to take over as team president from Saputo. “We all know the Canadiens take up a large part of most Montrealers’ hearts, but there’s room in their hearts for soccer as well and for the Impact.”

Gilmore knows how the Canadiens work as a business since he was the team’s executive vice-president and COO for five years before leaving the club in 2016.

When asked about the Canadiens sucking up so much of the corporate money for sports in Montreal, Gilmore responded: “I don’t think anybody is sucking money out of the market. I think it’s a question of letting partners understand the value of associating themselves with a sport that’s the most popular sport in the world, appeals to a younger demographic than other sports, is on the upswing and can help them create a tremendous connection between their brand and our fans.”

With the exception of key sponsors like the Bank of Montreal, Vidéotron and Saputo Inc., Gilmore said he doesn’t see the corporate support from a sponsorship standpoint that he would expect from the Montreal market. Gilmore, Saputo and Garber all agree Saputo Stadium needs to be renovated to improve the game experience for fans and especially corporate clients while generating more revenue.

“This is a unique market,” Garber said. “The stadium itself was privately funded. The stadium sits on land that is owned by the city. The city has a unique way of taxing private investment on facilities, which I don’t think exists in any other city that I’ve ever travelled to and I’ve been involved in the development of 20 stadiums, bringing billions of dollars in investment.

“It really isn’t about taking the existing stadium and adding more seats,” the commissioner added. “It’s about how do you take a stadium that was appropriate at the time and even (built) before Major League Soccer and provide more amenities for fans and, frankly, more opportunities to engage the corporate community?”

The Impact have only played three of their first 13 games this season at Saputo Stadium and have a 6-5-2 overall record, good for third place in the Eastern Conference. They have a 2-1-0 record at home and are averaging 17,118 fans to rank 14th out of 24 MLS clubs.

Gilmore said the goal is to make Impact games “big events” in the city, where fans want to arrive two or three hours before the start. Right now, there isn’t much at Saputo Stadium to entice fans to arrive early. The Impact could take a page from the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, who have created a fantastic pregame atmosphere outside Amalie Arena with live bands, bars, picnic tables and games for kids.

When asked if something like that might be possible as a short-term solution at Saputo Stadium, Gilmore said: “There’s limitations and restrictions, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be overcome. So yes, absolutely, that’s something we have to look at.”

But Gilmore added the long-term solution has to be providing more for corporate clients inside the stadium.

Garber said he has no doubt the Impact can compete in MLS going forward, both on and off the pitch.

“This is a large market,” the commissioner said. “It’s one of the largest markets in North America. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that at its size, renovated (stadium), with more amenities and more fan engagement opportunities, that it will be a team that will rise to another level.”